(gentle music) - Welcome to our Advanced Learning Social Security considerations when caregiving. Now, caregiving can certainly be rewarding, but it's also sometimes stressful, time consuming, and costly. And if you're assisting someone who's eligible, or nearing eligibility for Social Security, having the most up to date information about it just might make the caregiving a bit easier for you, especially since Social Security often plays a critical role in the finances of many older or disabled adults. Now, the first thing caregivers should know about Social Security is that starting a conversation about finances, well, that can be a tough nut to crack and it often gets emotional. So if you're having a hard time speaking with your care recipient about those financial issues, several short conversations may go better than one long conversation. AARP Care To Talk cards can help with these kinds of conversations. They can help caregivers and their care recipients develop an easier dialogue with each other. Of course, it certainly helps to be prepared for a financial conversation, so we've got an AARP Social Security expert right here to share the essential information you need to know about Social Security. Jonathan - I'd like to start by acknowledging and thanking all the caregivers out there. Caregiving comes with a lot of joy, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility. Being a family caregiver is a labor of love, and helping to manage finances is a big responsibility. Like with any responsibility, tackle it by taking smaller, manageable steps. First step, make sure you can easily find important paperwork, website logins, and other kinds of documentation, and be sure to store them in an accessible and safe location. You'll do yourself a favor if you do that. - And the good news is there are experts out there that can help you help your loved one with missing information, or even questions about Social Security. You can call the National Social Security Administration Office, or visit their website, or use Social Security's Field Office Locator to find your local Social Security Office. Now, logging onto your loved ones account on the SSA website at ssa.gov/myaccount is a good place to access Social Security services like checking on their benefits or setting up a direct deposit. Let's check out this short video. - [Presenter] How do I open a My Social Security account? - [Instructor] It's easy to open your online account. All you need is your Social Security number and your email address. Go to ssa.gov/myaccount and click on create an account. Follow the instructions, create a username and password, and provide a second way for Social Security to reach you, like a phone number or another email address. - [Presenter] Easy enough. So what can I do with a My Social Security account? - [Instructor] Quite a lot. You can review your earnings history, check current or future benefits, update personal information, set up direct deposit for your benefit payment, request a replacement card, and access many other Social Security services. - [Presenter] Excellent. That's a lot of personal information stored on my account though, and I worry about online security. - [Instructor] So does Social Security. That's where that extra phone number or email comes in. To guard against unauthorized use and identity theft, they'll text or email you a one-time code to verify your identity whenever you log into your account. To learn more, go to aarp.org/socialsecurity. - The State Health Insurance Assistance Program, called SHIP for short, is also a good resource for getting Social Security and Medicare help. And there are some other ways you can help manage your care recipient's Social Security. You could ask to be appointed as a representative payee by Social Security so that you can manage a beneficiary's Social Security payments. You can start this process by calling Social Security. The chief responsibility as a representative payee is to make sure the benefits are used to meet essential and personal needs like food, housing, household bills, medical care, clothing, and recreation. This process can be a bit daunting, but there is help. A Social Security publication known as "A Guide for Representative Payees" has a lot of great information and you'll find it in our resources guide. Now, let's hear from our expert about the application process and some tips for maximizing Social Security payments - Just helping fill out an application? You don't need to be appointed as an authorized representative, but it's handy. It lets you access information from your loved one's Social Security file, get medical records or other evidence to support a claim, attend meetings or hearings, request appeals, and help with Social Security proceedings. There's a bit of a bureaucratic process to go through, but with a little information, you certainly can do it. Your first step is to download, fill out, and submit form SSA-1696. Some portions of the form should be completed by your loved one, and they'll need to electronically sign an online benefit application. If they can't do that, Social Security can mail it to them for verification and signature. You can sign the application on your loved one's behalf if they're judged legally incompetent, or if they're just physically unable to sign. After you submit the form, the process usually involves a face-to-face interview at a Social Security office. Make sure to bring your proof of identity with you. It's easy to overlook things like that, but it's important to bring it. If your loved one has been denied Social Security, well, that can be a stressful situation, but they can appeal a denial and there's help with that process. Your local Social Security office has a list of legal referral services and nonprofit organizations that provide free services or help you find a liaison to assist you throughout the claims or appeals process. One of the most helpful things you can do for your loved one is to review their Social Security record. You can make sure they're getting the payment they're entitled to. This can be tricky, but Social Security has a great website called the Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool, or BEST, B-E-S-T. This helps you calculate the maximum benefit they're entitled to. Social Security payments can vary, usually by the age you start claiming, but some people qualify for a survivor's benefit or a spousal benefit that's actually more than their own benefit. It's definitely worth your caregiving time to look into this, and this website makes it a little easier. Now, we have talked a lot about caring for older adults, but many of our caregivers are also taking care of children at the same time. And if that is you, did you know that Social Security might also be able to help your kids? That's right. Social Security can help retirees with younger children and assist children if a parent dies or is disabled. Here's what you need to know. The children of retired, deceased, and disabled workers can collect Social Security benefits on their parents' earnings record. A worker's biological children, and sometimes adopted or stepchildren can qualify for benefits. Grandchildren may also be eligible if the grandparent has adopted them, or if Social Security officials have recognized them as financially dependent on the grandparent and both of the child's parents are deceased or disabled. Usually those payments stop when a child turns 18, but if they're a full time student in grade 12 or lower, or they are disabled, they can receive benefits after the age of 18. If a child is disabled, benefits can continue into adulthood, as long as they became disabled before the age of 22. The child also must be unmarried, except in very limited circumstances involving disability. Children of a living Social Security beneficiary can collect up to half of the parents' full retirement age benefit amount. Survivor benefits for children are up to 75% of a late parent's monthly benefit. There is a maximum amount of money that a worker's immediate family can receive based on their Social Security record, so sometimes children's benefit payments are reduced because of that, especially if multiple people are collecting benefits on one worker's record. Disabled children in low income households also may qualify for Supplemental Security Income called SSI. Now, these extra benefits continue until age 18. After that, Social Security will review whether they qualify for SSI as adults. We at AARP know that navigating all of these Social Security rules can be a bit confusing, and we've gone over a lot of information in a short amount of time, but if you need more information, check out our resource guide on AARP's Your Questions Answered tool. That will also give you a chance to have your specific questions answered by one of AARP's volunteer certified financial planners. Remember, you are not alone, and AARP is here to help. Thanks for joining us and I wish you the best in your caregiving journey. (gentle music)

Social Security considerations

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important documents

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